Tag: Rotunda Planetarium

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Rotunda Planetarium open house is back!

For one night only, the Rotunda Planetarium is open again to the public! Friday, November 24, 2023, 6:00 – 8:30 p.m.

In the summer of 1818, Thomas Jefferson envisioned a painted planetarium, spanning the Rotunda’s dome. “It is proposed to be painted sky-blue and spangled with gilt stars in their position and magnitude copied exactly,” he wrote. Fast-forward to 2019, and three UVA doctoral students worked to bring Jefferson’s vision to life. They received a Trust grant to purchase the equipment to “open the ceiling to the stars” and host an exhibition on the Rotunda Library’s early years.

Make plans to view the constellations and stars in the Rotunda Dome Room on the 24th. This event is free and open to the community. Special music from the Youth Orchestras of Central Virginia, and a visit from historical actor-interpreter, Bill Barker as Thomas Jefferson. We hope to see you there!

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Rotunda Planetarium Public Nights

Constellations projected onto the inside of the Rotunda dome

In the summer of 1818, Thomas Jefferson envisioned a painted planetarium, spanning the Rotunda’s dome. “It is proposed to be painted sky-blue and spangled with gilt stars in their position and magnitude copied exactly,” he wrote.

Fast-forward to 2019, and three UVA doctoral students worked to bring Jefferson’s vision to life. They received a Trust grant to purchase the equipment to “open the ceiling to the stars” and host an exhibition on the Rotunda Library’s early years.

Now, we are thrilled to share that Rotunda Planetarium public nights are re-launching! View the constellations and stars in the Rotunda Dome Room Friday, November 25, or Saturday, November 26, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit the Rotunda website.

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Flash Funding Grant Cycle Announcement

The preservation of the Alderman card catalog is among the flash funding grant recipients

The Jefferson Trust is excited to announce our 2019–2020 Flash Funding Grant Awards, totaling $108,716. A majority of the 13 projects awarded went to student organizations.

The flash grants are:

Rotunda Planetarium Phase 2 & Preservation of Alderman Card Catalog: $10,000

Funding provides additional public nights for the Rotunda Planetarium and the publication of a book detailing the multidisciplinary history of the Rotunda. An ongoing project to preserve the historic Alderman Library card catalog for future research will also be supported.

Aboriginal Art on Grounds (Documentary): $7,000

Funding supports the production of a short documentary capturing student engagement with Aboriginal art at UVA through two recent exhibitions: “The Inside World” at the Fralin Museum and “Munguyhmunguyh (Forever)” at the Rotunda.

Native American Student Union Powwow: $3,750

NASU’s Powwow at UVA is an annual celebration of Native American culture and the biggest event the organization hosts. The powwow is open to the public and has hosted nearly 600 spectators who learn about Native traditions through engaging in a broader community.

Formula SAE Team 2019–20: $9,966

Funding will support and expand experiential learning for the fledgling Formula SAE team as they design and build a car to race in national competition.

UVA Safe and Sustainable Driving: $7,000

A team of students will analyze data collected by Facilities Management from 182 fleet vehicles to improve driving skills and sustainable driving practices. This will allow the team to generate initial results in order to secure larger funding through NSF or DOE sources.

Graduate English Students Association’s Annual Graduate Conference (UVA GradCon): $1,000

The Graduate English Students Association will present an annual graduate conference, themed “Transformation.”

Kluge-Ruhe Permanent and Summer Exhibitions 2020: $10,000

UVA students will gain significant experience in helping with two upcoming exhibitions: “From Little Things, Big Things Grow” in the permanent exhibition galleries at Kluge-Ruhe; and the summer exhibition in Kluge-Ruhe’s rotating gallery, “Bapurru (Remembering): New Yolngu Prints from Milingimbi and Yirrkala.”

Retold: Celebrating Women of the University of Virginia: $10,000

To honor the 100th anniversary of the Board of Visitors resolution allowing white women to enroll in some of the University’s graduate and professional programs and the 50th anniversary of full coeducation, the UVA Alumni Association and the Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center at UVA will host Retold, a celebration of the transformational impact of women on the University of Virginia.

Modeling the Spreading of the Coronavirus: $10,000

School of Engineering faculty are creating three research groups of undergraduate students who will set up effective models for the spread of the disease and then merge the three models into a more comprehensive model.

Arctic Design Group | 2020 Venice Architecture Biennale, Italy: $10,000

Funding will support Architecture faculty and students in the production of an Arctic-focused design installation which will be exhibited at the world-renowned Venice Architecture Biennale. The group’s participation in the Biennale will provide a unique opportunity to promote UVA’s design excellence and provide an exceptional experience to UVA students on a premier global stage.

“Stepping Out” into Deeper Understandings of Marginalized Families: $10,000

Using recent research, this project will help train teachers for home visits, focusing on self-reflection, understanding systemic privilege and disadvantage, and recognizing listening techniques that are more and less effective for deepening relationships.

So Many Ways to Say “I Belong at UVA”: Documenting Linguistic Diversity among the UVA Student Body: $10,000

This project will help to train teachers for home visits, focusing on self-reflection, understanding systemic privilege and disadvantage, and recognizing listening techniques that are more and less effective for deepening relationships.

1970: May Strike in Context — Oral Histories of Alumni: $10,000

The UVA Library will host a major exhibition, “1970: May Strike in Context,” to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the May Strike and the larger cultural context that sparked student activism at UVA.

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Jefferson Trust Announces $800,000 in Grants for Innovating Education

The Jefferson Trust, an initiative of the University of Virginia Alumni Association, approved 13 new grants totaling $800,579 after a dedicated review process.

Many of the grants this year sought to provide innovative educational experiences for University of Virginia students.

Established by the Alumni Association in 2006, the Jefferson Trust has invested in 192 initiatives, representing over $7.8 million, brought forth by students and faculty representing all 11 schools and a myriad of programs and organizations at UVA. With grant awards ranging from as little as $2,500 to as much as $100,000, all of these seed-funded projects add exceptional value to the UVA experience. Many evolve to become a permanent part of the fabric of the University’s life and legacy

The 2019 grants include:

Rotunda Planetarium: $30,000
The Rotunda Planetarium reconstructs Thomas Jefferson’s inaugural vision for the Rotunda Library’s dome room. The Rotunda Planetarium will run from November 2019 until June 2020.

Infectious Disease in 3D: $99,945
The proposed “Infectious Disease in 3D” program aims to build VR and AR content for teaching complex biological information in UVA classrooms. The end product will directly benefit UVA classrooms by enhancing motivation and retention of material.

Religion, Race, and Democracy: An Undergraduate Multimedia Research Project: $100,000
The Religion Lab will offer to undergraduate Student Research Collaborators:  1.) Regular training and mentorship; 2.) Funding and technology; 3.) A website to publish the research. They will also benefit from the expertise and guidance of Religion Lab faculty and staff.

Cadaver-specific virtual dissection table: $70,491
An initiative to provide state of the art interactive and psychometric learning to students in Kinesiology for the enhancement of knowledge in anatomy and patient care leading to the development of unparalleled clinical skills.

Developing Tools to Transform Student Experiences: $141,173
To develop and use web-based observation tools to not only shed light on how UVA faculty teach in their classrooms, but also to use the data from the tools to work with instructors and the broader university to improve teaching at UVA. 

UVA Medical Design Program: Phase II: $81,500
The UVA Medical Design Program (UVAMDP) provides first-year medical students with hands-on instruction in the application of design thinking to address healthcare challenges. 

Student Veteran’s Support Initiative: $60,000
The Veteran’s Support Initiative is seeking support to set up a structure to better meet the needs of student veterans.

Data for the Social Good: $50,000
With support from the Jefferson Trust, faculty, staff, students and alumni of the Data Science Institute will develop a set of tools to match community non-profits needing data analysis help with students and service-learning classes that can provide it.

Concussion and Headaches: $25,837.02
This project proposes to study administration of magnesium and riboflavin (two common supplements) as agents to reduce the length of time a student might experience headache following concussion.

The Flux Poetry Series: $21,800
The project proposal is a three-semester-long poetry series that will invite award-winning and influential poets to host workshops, performances, consultations, and more, bolstering the already-thriving art community at UVA. 

Madayin Aboriginal Art Catalog: $56,000
The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia seeks funding to produce a fully-illustrated scholarly catalog to accompany the touring exhibition “Madayin: Eight Decades of Aboriginal Bark Painting from Yirrkala, Australia.”

Reshaping Public and Archival Space: $32,260
The project is the first attempt to capture testimonies video graphically about the Black nursing experience, to be made available to a large audience. The project aims to enhance visibility of Black nurses in archives and public spaces via written documents, photographs, videos, and exhibitions.

Minority Youth Development Program: $31,573
This program aims to increase the number of underrepresented minorities, especially African-Americans, pursuing careers in architecture.